Reincarnated Rhinelander, saved from destruction from the beer gods yet again. I never drank the original Rhinelander, but enjoyed it by the case in the 70s at about a $4.69 retail, sold in returnable bottle cases.

2-7oz 'shorties' to fill my beer stein, an off-white head rose to about 1.5 fingers and lingered awhile, while the beer underneath poured to an appetizing golden color, similar to the color of apple juice. Slight smell of malt and corn combined; the taste of a very refreshing export lager, with a lingering sweetness. Just enough carbonation to provide a bit of bite.

Could this recipe be the same one that Minhas uses to brew Regal Brau? I've never had both side-by-side, but this version of Rhinelander seems remarkably similar.

A thank you to cpolking for sending this beer. Poured from 2 brown 7 oz. bottles. Has a light golden color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of malts, some grains. Taste is crisp, malts, corn, some grains. Feels light and highly carbonated in the mouth and overall is your standard, run of the mill AAL.

207ml bottle, label sez 'Shorty Export Beer' for we good folks north of the 49th, who must be tired of those American-style bombers of beer flooding the shelves lately. Time to fix that, eh, Minhas?

This beer pours a clear bright apple juice colour, with a wisp of fizzy indeterminately hued head, as it phases out in less than a blink of an eye. Same goes for any lace you might have been expecting.

It smells of sweet, sugary corn gruel, nail polish remover, and a faint dead leaves on the ground rotten vegetation essence. Urg. The taste is more saccharine, slick corn, some rice pudding runoff, a lesser, but still within the realm of evil swirling, undead phenolic cheap white wine character, and a comparatively inoffensive, but at the same time over-matched, earthy dryness.

The bubbles are pretty well comatose, the body medium weight, sure, but accompanied by a tacky, cloying, and somewhat oily texture. It finishes with a rehash of all of the above, though thankfully waning.

I sure hope that the marketing pap on the bottle (sorry, 'shorty') is wrong about Wisconsin's Northwoods having the same refreshing attributes as this beer - otherwise I'd probably have to hold my nose if ever visited there. The real silver lining here is that there was only 7oz of this stuff to suffer through.

Smells like corn and grain husks, and tastes like corn and grain husks with a shot of C02 adding a slight carbonic bite, otherwise watery and flaccid. Hint of sweetness, dominated by swilly grains. How drinkable is it, that's really the essential question. It's average and utterly mediocre though fairly drinkable after a walk in the 70ºs, then again, so is water.

Glad I only got a single for the novelty value and wasn't stuck buying a case. There are far better budget beers out there, and even for nostalgia's sake there isn't much substance here.

Note: Rhinelander is a separate beer marketing company from Minhas, they bought the name back from them in 2009. All Rhinelander beers are flagged to move here: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/27642

Poured out of the 7 oz shorty bottle into a pint glass. This was served well chilled.

A) Straw yellow, well carbonated, about of finger of white foam that dissipates quickly, not much in the way of lacing to report.

S) This is mostly corn, rice and other grain aroma. There is some white wine aroma, but it's kind of off, like the grapes were bad or something.

T) Close to the nose, corn and grain, artificial flavors, hops is basically nonexistent . There is a light fruit sweetness, which like the nose, is white grape. Finishes well enough. This definitely needs to be served quite cold for my tastes.

M) Light bodied, with the right amount of carbonation for the style. The mouthfeel is not offensive, just average, and drinkable. The aftertaste is nondescript.

O) Congratulations to Minhas Brewery for another beer that is barely drinkable. The shorty bottle is pretty cool, but gimmicks only get you so far.

T: Taste is more of the same, but also more balanced. Lots of corn, grains, and a slight creamy sweetness. Finishes with a persistent, annoying saccharin sweetness.

M: Lighter bodied with appropriate carbonation. Very light bitterness, but the sweetness coats the tongue and sticks to it.

O: I came across this beer at the Alp and Dell Cheese store while I was picking up some delectable cheese and I've got to admit the rather unique packaging sold me on this beer. But even at the not-so-expensive price of $0.79, I think this one might be overpriced. Still a drinkable beer, just not one I'd want to drink.

A - The tiny $.49 bottle intrigued me. Believe it or not, I don't think I've ever partook from a "shorty". Pours a golden pale yellow in color with good clarity and a low, frothy white head. Low retention and little specks of lace.

S - Pale grainy malt and a burst of corn adjunct, Rhinelander Export has a dry straw and dry grass aroma with a faint drizzle of honey on the finish.

T - Pils malt, in low quantities, provides overarching sweetness that lasts throughout the brew but does little to mask the grainy pale malt and corn characteristics.

O - Let's be honest with ourselves here, I got this for the bottle assuming that it's contents would be far from "Refreshing as Wisconsin's Northwoods". Swill at best, Rhinelander's Export is not quite something a Rhinelander native can be proud of in the craft industry, but locals would most definitely put it away repeatedly. Hey, us geeks are a brutal bunch.

The flavor is fruity with some mineral water and corn. Maybe better than the original but this one seems over priced, normally I would put the blurb that this is the same as bmc but cheaper but this is like an expensive bmc.

The flavor isn't quite as nice as the aroma, with a sweet-corn flavor dominating, though there is still a decent grainy malt flavor, that finishes on a semi-sweet note, with virtually no hop character.

I guess this beer is about what I expected, though the finish could be a little drier. The flavors are certainly to be expected in the style, and are clean overall, with a finish that leaves your palate quite refreshed.

Haven't had the courage to try this again for years. Used to be totally dominated by butterscotch. Now I poured a decent white, foamy head that soon settles down and no lace. Color is a clear pale yellow with lots of bubble trails. Aroma is sweet and beery with a little hop and malt. Flavor is where it falls down- it's like the nose but way dominated by sweetness plus a little carbonic tang. Body is a little on the thin side with heavy carbonation. Finish is like flavor tapering quickly to neutral sweetness. Could maybe cook with it, but I won't be having another.

I grew up in Rhinelander, but I believe I can give an unbiased review of this beer. I'd like to note that this wasn't just a bottle that I poured, but a Shorty (7oz).

The beer pours with an adequate effervescence, but just a thin film of disappearing head. The color is the dark amber of an adjunct export - the strong flavor of an export also - though I can't pin down any certain description for it's flavor - maybe a hint of burnt toast. Didn't notice much aroma. Basically, it's the muddle of cooked and fermented grains and hops of what I consider an "old-fashioned" beer (as opposed to the lowest-common-denominator flavor of a mega-brew or the many new varieties of niche beers.) Good mouthfeel - a charge of effervescence with every swig, and a good finish - you're dancin' with who you brung - no surprises.

Pours a very pale straw color with an inch of egg shell head that dissipates fairly quickly and leaves a bit of cling. Very clear, with moderate visible carbonation. The bouquet presents sourdough bread and lighter caramel malts. There's also a subtle presence of hops in the nose, along with some very faint metallic notes. There's smooth malt flavor at the fore, followed by something of a cornbread or sweetbread flavor, and concluding with a touch of hop bitterness. Sour, sweet, and bitter in turns--this is an adjunct that offers up some complexity. The mouthfeel is light-bodied, effervescent, and quite creamy for a beer of this style.

Minhas has returned to the original 1940s formula of Rhinelander Beer in producing these shorties, and the result is a surprisingly flavorful and very drinkable brew. (Rumor has it that if enough cases are sold, they'll actually rebuild a brewery in Rhinelander, whose own was closed down in the late 60s.) Don't expect the quality of a high-end craft in this one, but don't dismiss it before you have the chance to taste an adjunct lager that clearly places importance on flavor.